Saturday, March 15, 2008

Ferial Mass

Owing to all the confusion over which Ordo to follow, we ended up having Low Mass of the feria (with commemoration of Our Lady of Sorrows), and will do St Patrick after Low Sunday!

I was secretly glad (despite having said Office of the Saint); there were some gems in the Proper for Friday of Passion week: all the orations (vide infra); the phrase (Jer. xvii, 14) in the Epistle, Sana me, Domine, et sanabor: salvum me fac, et salvus ero: quoniam laus mea tu es ("Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise"); the Gospel pericope (St John xi, 47-54) setting the scene for Our Lord's Passion, since it details the conspiring of the chief priests and pharisees, their fear that the Romans will come to destroy the Temple and the nation - which in the end all their machinations only provoked, not prevented, O tragic treachery! - and the unconscious prophecy of Caiphas, that it is expedient for one man to die for the people, to which the Evangelist adds "he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God that were dispersed".

(O God, in Whose passion the sword of grief did pierce the gentle soul of the glorious Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, that so might be fulfilled the word of thy Prophet Simeon: mercifully grant that we who here do call to mind the suffering whereby she was pierced, may by the glorious merits and prayers of all the Saints who have faithfully stood beneath the Cross, be filled with the blessed fruits of Thy passion. Who livest and reignest...)

(We offer unto Thee prayers and oblations, Lord Jesu Christ, humbly beseeching that we, who recall in our prayers the transfixion of the most sweet spirit of blessed Mary, Thy Mother, through the merits of Thy death and by the most pious multiplied intervention of her and of her holy companions beneath the Cross, may share the reward of the blessed. Who livest...)

The postcommunions emphasise well the hoped-for fruits of the Sacrament:

Previous to the Mass, we had had Stations of the Cross, with the singing of the Stabat Mater, and constant reflection on the suffering of Him Who so loves man as to die for us sinners. It made for an excellent and healthful meditation, especially after having made my humble confession, and prayed the Rosary with some slight attention.

Through the prayers of St Patrick, Thy Bishop and Confessor, we entreat Thy Divine Majesty, that Thou permit us to worship and adore Thee according to the Traditional Latin Rite of the Holy Roman Church, at least on all Sundays and Holy Days:

May this clean oblation be acceptable unto Thee, O Lord of hosts, which, through the labours of blessed Patrick, from the rising to the setting of the sun, shall be offered unto Thy great Name among the nations, as Thou hast willed. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Let us pray for Francis our Pope. R/. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

(Let us pray for Julian our Bishop. R/. May he stand and shepherd in Thy strength, O Lord, in the sublimity of Thy name.)

OUR LADY OF COLEBROOK

We fly to thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God: despise not our petitions in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

St Mary of the Cross

St Mary, pray for Australia and Australian Catholics; obtain for us deliverance from the unjust actions of bishops and priests; intercede for us that we may for now bear these trials as our apportioned cross, and at length overcome by patience and fidelity, as you did while on earth; now in heaven, be our advocate by your holy merits and glorious suffrages.

Il Papa che parla...

As for the use of the 1962 Missal as a Formaextraordinaria of the liturgy of the Mass, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted.

… it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them.

What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.

PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF MATTEO RICCI, S.J. (1552-1610)

Eternal Father, Who didst send Thine Only-begotten Son into this world to redeem mankind, kindly hear our humble prayer, and grant the favour we ask at the intercession of the Servant of God Father Matteo Ricci, an outstanding preacher of the Gospel by Thy providential plan, one of the first to harvest the field made sacred by Saint Francis Xavier; who, as soon as he became a missionary in China, spread far and wide the teaching of Christ, and wisely guided countless souls along the road to salvation and sanctity; may it please Thee, therefore, to glorify him on earth, as we believe he is glorified in heaven, and to add his name to the list of the Blesseds and Saints; for his elevation to the honours of the altar would give greater glory to Thee and to Thy Church, and greater edification to the Chinese Christians who so courageously live their faith and their charity. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the Intercession of G. K. Chesterton

God our Father, Thou didst fill the life of Thy servant Gilbert Keith Chesterton with a sense of wonder and joy, and gave him a faith which was the foundation of his ceaseless work, a hope which sprang from his enduring gratitude for the gift of human life, and a charity towards all men, particularly his opponents. May his innocence and his laughter, his constancy in fighting for the Christian faith in a world losing belief, his lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his love for all men, especially for the poor, bring cheerfulness to those in despair, conviction and warmth to lukewarm believers, and the knowledge of Thee to those without faith. We beg Thee to grant the favours we ask through his intercession, [and especially for …,] so that his holiness may be recognized by all, and the Church may proclaim him Blessed. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

TROPARION & KONTAKION OF ST JOSHUA MY PATRON

Chosen by Moses to lead the people of God into the promised land, * you led them through the waters of the Jordan. * Thus, by your actions as well as by your name * you foreshadow the saviour, who leads us through the waters of baptism. * O holy prophet, Joshua, * beg him now to save our souls.

PRAY FOR THE REUNION OF ANGLICANS WITH THE SEE OF ROME

V/. Pray for them, O Holy Mother of God.

R/. That they may be one in the Church of thy Son.

The Collect for the Anglican Use

O HOLY Ghost the Lord, who on Pentecost gavest the Church the gift of tongues that Christ might be known, loved and served by peoples of divers nations and customs: watch over the Anglican heritage within thy Church, we pray thee, that, led by thy guidance and strengthened by thy grace, that Use may find such favor in thy sight that its people may increase both in holiness and number, and so show forth thy glory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Son, one God world without end. Amen.

the extraordinary form of the roman rite in perth, western australia

The Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated daily at St Anne's, Perth, Western Australia, by Fr Michael Rowe, official Latin Mass Chaplain of the Archdiocese of Perth. Sunday Masses are at 7.30am (Low), 9.15am (Missa Cantata) and 11.15am (Low). Confessions are heard before all Sunday and weekday Masses, and afterwards if need be. Weekly programme includes sung Mass on feast days, Holy Hours with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and the Holy Rosary before all Masses. Fr Rowe also travels to Bunbury once a month to supply the Traditional Mass in that diocese. For more information please contact Fr Rowe on (08) 9444 9604.